(The Center Square) – Democrats are the preferred majority for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, says a poll released Thursday morning.
Respondents also want Democrats to have the majorities in the General Assembly. And in what would be a trend reversal, only 38% believe a fair and accurate count of the votes will occur nationwide in November – down 10% from nearly two years ago.
“While the U.S. Senate race continues to take shape around a major gap in voter familiarity with the candidates, a broader story emerging from the 2026 election is how North Carolinians view the electoral process itself,” said Dr. Jason Husser, director of the Elon University Poll. “North Carolinians are increasingly anxious and uncertain about whether the national vote count will be fair, even more than they were in the contentious 2024 election.
“Yet, most voters do not see federal intervention as the solution. Rather, we measured a strong, bipartisan consensus that election administration belongs in the hands of the states.”
The sampling found 63% want election responsibility to remain a state administration task. The view of an accurate count nationwide was 38%-21% for yes, with 41% unsure; that contrasts to August 2024 when yes was 48%-19% and only 32% were unsure.
Asked which party they wanted to control, the U.S. Senate was 40%-35% for Democrats; the U.S. House of Representatives was 40%-35% for Democrats; and the North Carolina General Assembly was 41%-37% for Democrats.
The Elon University Poll sampled 800 adults ages 18 and older between March 13-20. The poll’s margin of error is +/- 4.43%.
The Elon University Poll bills itself as “full funded by Elon University,” thereby “permitting the Elon University Poll to operate as the neutral, non-biased resource of information for citizens and political and business leaders. As a result of this generous support, the Elon University poll does not engage in any contract work.”
